Some Hicks Get Out of Pocket

Posted on May 14, 2008 - By
Bossip Staff

Posted by Bossip Staff

Some mark-ass busters in Marietta, GA see nothing wrong with depicting a prominent African-American as a monkey:

Marietta bar owner Mike Norman says the T-shirts he’s peddling, featuring a look-a-like of cartoon chimp Curious George peeling a banana, with “Obama in ’08” underneath, are not meant to offend. Norman acknowledged the imagery’s Jim Crow roots but said he sees nothing wrong with depicting a prominent African-American as a monkey, “We’re not living in the (19)40’s,” he said. “Look at him . . . the hairline, the ears — he looks just like Curious George.”

About a dozen protesters rallied against the shirts Tuesday afternoon, condemning them as racist and asking Norman, longtime proprietor of Mulligan’s Bar and Grill on Roswell Street, to stop selling them. Marietta native Pam Lindley, 47, joined the protest after reading about the controversy online. “I don’t want people to think this is what Marietta is all about,” she added, motioning towards the tavern. “This is what some people think the South is still like. Marietta’s come a long way but I guess it’s still got a little ways to go.”